Scarlet Fever

"'Help wanted, Dewspire Village looking for someone to discover the source of the disappearances that have been happening for the last few weeks. Reward of two hundred gold coins is offered for solving the problem,'" a young, red-haired woman reads to herself from the written missive with a soft smirk as she leans against the local bounty office's exterior wall, a map to the location scrawled along the job notice.

"Sounds right up my alley. Better see about getting some new armor once I finish this mission. Gods know I've needed some for a while," she comments, rolling up the notice and stashing it inside of her belt pouch, the woman's armor rather beat up and scuffed, some of the straps nearly falling apart, "With any luck, I'll be home with a small fortune in booze money by the end of the week."

The woman's leather pants hug her bottom half, padding her sizable rear and thighs from the metal plates protecting them and giving her form quite the outline, the plates only covering vital parts of her torso and her legs. Her maroon tunic hangs loosely below her armor, the sleeves covering her arms and protecting her from any debris she may brush against.

A small, rectangular tag made of black metal adorns her chest, pinned to the cloak that drapes from her shoulders, the cloth as red as her hair. Engraved into the black material is the name 'Scarlet Chapel,' indicating the owner and declaring who she is to the world without shame, while a heavy mace rests in a belt loop on her side.

"Veralion really needs to let me get some more work in," Scarlet mutters to herself, sighing deeply as she walks through the busy city streets and weaves around the people that are in her path, her red eyes lidded with boredom as she navigates the familiar streets, "It's so ridiculous that the Genesis guild has a limit on the number of missions you can do per month. It's not like I would go for it if I was exhausted, so what's the big deal? I can handle it, and I'll prove that today."

With a huff, Scarlet decides to rent a horse to reach her destination, scanning over the stalls and other businesses that may be able to help her. A short while of searching later, she finds herself near the gates of Bakshar City, the city named in honor of its liege.

"I could have sworn that there was someone right over...aha! There you are!" Scarlet cheers, pointing at a small set of stables set up between two larger stores, practically hiding the smaller business from view for anyone that doesn't think to look closer at it.

Walking towards the stables and pushing the door to the office open, Scarlet steps inside and takes a good look around, ignoring the various papers and horse care products scattered around the interior, stepping up to the desk and cupping her hand near her mouth once she realizes that the front room is empty, "Hey Gerry! You have a customer, you old fart! Get your senile ass out here and rent me a horse!"

The door to the back room slams open as a boot-clad foot kicks it with a bang, narrowed eyes glaring at Scarlet as the new arrival raises a finger and points directly at Scarlet's face, only a scant few feet from her, "Look here, you mental toddler! You can't just shout in here whenever you want to!...how long are you wanting to rent it for?"

"A week, maybe two. What, no witty comebacks to being called ancient?" she questions with a chuckle and a raised brow, earning a laugh from the Wood Elf, his long ears and dark hair a dead giveaway as to which race he belongs to, "Maybe my comment about being senile wasn't far off."

"I've only been of age for two hundred years, and I will outlive your great-grandchildren," he says with a deadpan, Scarlet's smile disappearing entirely as she grows mildly uncomfortable, averting her eyes from Gerry's for a moment before awkwardly chuckling, "It's not a joke, it's my reality. The horse is two gold coins, and an extra silver for calling me old."

"Oh, come on. Didn't I help you out that one time? With bringing the escaped horses?" she reminds Gerry, clasping her hands together and pouting, the tall woman looking down at the shorter Elf and earning a snort along with a shake of his head in response, "Seriously? Why not?"

"Because you only did that after letting the horses out in the first place, you witch spawn. We're even, as far as I'm concerned," Gerry insists, leaning on the small wooden countertop between them and narrowing his eyes in annoyance, "Take it or leave it, kid. I'm the cheapest horse rental at any of the four gates. You won't find better."

"Trust me, I know," Scarlet mutters, glaring off to the side before groaning heavily and producing the demanded coinage, a pleased smile crossing Gerry's features as he collects the coins and deposits them below the register, "It's not like I'm trying to actually make fun of you. You know that, right?"

"Yup. It's just fun to mess with you," he says, placing the silver coin atop his curled pointer finger before flicking it towards her, the red-head catching the coin in a hand with a soft chuckle. Gerry steps out from behind the counter a moment later as he begins to lead her back to the stables, twirling a ring of keys on his finger, "Pick any of the horses, they're all well cared for."

Nodding her head, Scarlet follows the Wood Elf outside and into the small courtyard, barely big enough to hold a carriage or a cart without scraping the two neighboring buildings. Spotting three horses in the stalls, Scarlet lets out a soft "Aww~" before approaching the sandy-blonde mare that approaches her out of curiosity, nosing at the offered hand presented to her.

"Velvet seems to like you enough, so you might as well bring her with you," Gerry tells her, chuckling as he watches the normally tomboyish woman cooing and petting Velvet like a little girl who's just been given a pony for her birthday, "Though I don't think I would have had to suggest her, given that you seem taken with her."

"Thanks, I'll make sure to keep her safe forever. This horse is now mine," she replies, chuckling darkly and grinning at Gerry, still petting Velvet without pause and ignoring the playful glare he shoots her way, "Suits me quite well, don't you agree? You want to come with me, don't you pretty girl?"

"You're not keeping my horse," he says with a deadpan, folding his arms across his grey tunic and shaking his head, a brow raised in faux indignation, "Not unless you have about five platinum coins, that is. A real rare breed, Gold Striders are. Not many of them on this side of the world."

"How did you manage to get to one, then? Joking aside, she looks like she's worth the price tag. Strong, healthy, friendly, and I get the feeling that she can carry me with ease," Scarlet says while resting her forehead against Velvet's, the horse whinnying softly and calmly nudging Scarlet with her head, "Beautiful creature, this one. Does she need a special diet?"

Gerry shakes his head and gently pats Velvet's neck with a hand, earning another whinny as the horse turns her attention to him, "Nah, nothing special. Just dry feed or grass. Anything that other horses can eat. You might need to brush her a bit more, though. She gets dirty pretty easily after all."

"Easy to see that," she says with a raised brow and a chuckle, stepping to the side and letting Gerry tack Velvet up, soon stepping into the reins and sitting atop Velvet's back, the equine not seeming to mind in the slightest, "Wow, she's pretty tall too! This is perfect, Gerry! Thanks again for letting me take her out on a mission like this."

"Don't mention it. No really, don't go around talking about her. She's not usually available for others to ride," he says with a roll of his eyes, patting Velvet on the neck and nodding his head, "Looks like you're all set. Stay safe, Scarlet."

"You don't even need to say it. I'm too lucky to just die like that," Scarlet responds, waving at the stable keep and gently cracking the reins, Velvet shooting off too fast for the red-haired woman to hear Gerry's response, "Who does he think I am, an amateur? Like some small-time monsters can even scratch me. You think so too, right Velvet?"

The golden horse nickers in response, quickly trotting through the gate to Bakshar City and heading down the stone road, bricks laid with careful care to ensure a safe journey into the city. Velvet's legs move like flashing lightning, galloping across the stone with glee as she enjoys her trip out of the stables.

Sun high in the sky before she reaches her objective, Scarlet sighs as she comes to the small village that paid for the quest listing to be posted. The settlement seems fine despite spotting the occasional gloomy person wandering around as she makes her way to the village's hall. The occasional villager stops to stare at the strange woman among them with bright eyes full of hope, eager to welcome her arrival and seeming quite overjoyed at her presence.

"They sure like staring, don't they?" she jokingly asks Velvet as the pair arrive at the tallest building in the settlement, dismounting her horse and carefully tying the reins to one of the many posts. Patting Velvet once more for good measure, Scarlet turns towards the hall and opens the thick doors between her and its interior, soon scanning the inside of the lobby for someone to speak with and finding herself alone, "Hello? It's not empty in here, is it?"

"S-sorry! I'll be right with you!" a meek voice calls through one of the open doors leading into another room, and a short man with pale purple skin and a pair of ivory horns atop his head steps into the lobby a short moment later. Holding his hands up in a placating gesture, he gives a nervous smile as he realizes that the woman entering his hall is armed and armored, his bright green eyes slit like a cat's, "Hello t-there! Apologies for the delay. What can I help you with today, Miss?"

"Heyo. I'm here about that job that you needed help with. That's not already claimed, is it?" Scarlet asks with a casual smirk, finding the Demon-kin man to be adorable with his fidgeting and nervous stuttering, "The name is Scarlet Chapel, by the way. Black Iron rank member of Genesis guild."

"My name i-is Henrick. Do you mind if I c-call you Scarlet?" he asks with a slight gulp, looking up at her and seeming to realize their difference in mass even more than before, the heavily muscled and metal-clad woman looking like a walking tank in comparison, "The j-job is, um... It's still t-there, yeah. Some people went missing, and it's always at night. You'll really help us?"

"It's what I do," Scarlet answers with a chuckle and a brush of her hair, tucking it behind her ear and stepping back to give Henrick some more space, "Besides, I can take on a few beasties without issue. This mace isn't just for show. I'm pretty good with it if I do say so myself."

Sighing in relief, Henrick sits down in his receptionist chair and gathers a few papers from his desk, placing the papers on the opposite end of its surface and glancing around before speaking again, "This is m-more of a personal thing, but... My sister went missing a few weeks ago. If you find a woman named Priscilla, please bring her back. Our parents are worried sick too."

"No problem. I'll bring her back, don't worry," she reassures with another chuckle and a pat on the man's shoulders, scooping up the papers and skimming over them as she takes a seat on the desk, "Okay, so no deaths reported, just missing people. No blood at the homes or at the abduction sites. Two homes were broken into, and the occupants were declared missing. This definitely sounds suspicious enough to take a bit of caution."

"Thank you s-so much! I was worried that I would never see h-her again," Henrick stutters out, tearing up a bit and wiping at his eyes with his sleeve, relief and gratitude in his expression, "I just want to know w-what happened to her. Even if... Even if she's gone, b-better to know."

"Yeah. I don't disagree, but keep your chin up either way," Scarlet says with a gentle smile, pocketing the papers and turning around to start making her way towards the reported sights, sparing a glance back at Henrick before leaving, "See you soon, kid. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

=====

"Gods damn it, where the fuck am I?" Scarlet asks herself as she looks over the poorly drawn map that someone quickly scribbled down for her after asking for directions, now standing in a dense forest located outside of Dewspire, "I didn't go that far, did I? Maybe I should turn back for now..."

Humming in thought and glancing around at the surrounding trees, Scarlet's eyes narrow as she realizes that the sun is starting to go down and over the horizon, the journey and her exploration having taken quite a bit of time. Her eyes wander over each branch and bush, the silence of the forest getting to her after spending a couple of hours wandering through it.

"Aren't forests supposed to be noisy? I haven't heard even a bird in a while," she mutters to herself, deciding that turning back, for now, would be a better idea than continuing in the dark. She pauses and takes another look around, her expression falling as she discovers that she has lost her way back as well, unsure of which trees she passed by earlier.

Growling in irritation, Scarlet crumples the map and shoves it into her belt pouch, internally cursing the villager who drew her the poor-quality map as she picks a direction and starts to walk again, ignoring the feeling of being watched.

Twigs and other debris snap under her metal boots as she travels, walking for a while longer before sighing deeply as she realizes that this was not the correct direction, having walked for as long as she did on her way into the forest, "Not a lamp in sight... Looks like I'm roughing it tonight. This is going to be terrible for my hair."

Scarlet stops in a small clearing within the dense underbrush after scouting the area out around it, slinging her backpack off of her body and opening the bag to retrieve her bedroll. Laying the stuffed leather roll onto the grassy ground below, she sits down and stretches her back with a groan and several audible pops.

"Shit, this really does suck. Never taking a mission that doesn't have a clear destination ever again," she grumbles, freezing as she hears a twig snapping nearby, the moon high in the sky now. Scarlet slowly gets to her feet and unfastens her mace from her belt, tightly grasping the handle as she takes stock of her surroundings once again, eyes narrowed in warning, "Who's there? You best come out or turn back, because trying to pick a fight will just end with you picking up your tee- Aagh!"

Pain fills Scarlet's senses as she feels a great weight slam into her back, sending her toppling to the floor as a weight presses into her back, a low, savage snarl echoing in her ear. Saliva hits the dirt below, the grass displaced from the force of the tackle. Teeth meet her vision as she heaves up with all her might, a steel-clad elbow slamming into her assailant's face and driving them off of her in a desperate attempt to free herself.

"Get the fuck off, you fuzzy asshole!" she roars, somehow having managed to maintain her grip on her mace during the scuffle and turning around to bring the weapon across his face. Realizing that the opponent who is stumbling back and rubbing his muzzle with a furry hand is a werewolf, Scarlet scurries to her feet and readies her shield, already knowing the consequences of being bitten, "Bring it on! You're as scary as a house cat!"

Growling in response, the naked werewolf lets out a fierce cry of anger before tensing its body in preparation to strike, leaping through the air with claws aimed at Scarlet. His body slams into her shield, and Scarlet grunts with effort as she struggles to maintain her footing, narrowly avoiding getting her face clawed as she tilts her head away, feeling the pressure of fighting a strong opponent.

Raising her mace to the side, she drives the flanged head into the werewolf's side, producing a whimper before lunging at Scarlet with bared teeth. Jaws clamp down on her shoulder, drawing a shout of pain as she feels teeth pierce her flesh and jerk wildly, terror filling Scarlet's mind as she feels something in her snap.

"Get...off of me!" she screams, swinging her mace between the werewolf's legs and grinning through the pain as she feels something cave under her blow, eyes filled with fury and anger. A shrill whine escapes the werewolf, too stunned to react as Scarlet shoves him away and to the ground, shield raised above her head, "Shoulda run, you damn eunuch!"

With a loud, satisfying crunch, the werewolf goes limp as awareness leaves him, the panting and bleeding Scarlet stumbling towards her backpack with her hand pressed to her shoulder. Her wounds bleeding freely, Scarlet manages to take a short few more steps before she too falls over, cursing her luck with a weak moan a moment later and slipping into unconsciousness only a scant few inches from her first-aid kit.

=====

As she wakes, Scarlet groans in discomfort and hums in thought as she shifts under a set of bed covers, the material surprisingly comfortable. Scrunching her brow in confusion as she recalls that her bed isn't usually this soft or plush, Scarlet's eyes slowly open to take in the soft light and the tiled ceiling above her.

"Wait a second... Where am I? Did I drink too much last night?" she mumbles to herself, slowly sitting up before raising an arm to flatter her hair, gasping as her shoulder flares up with burning pain. Eyes snapping to her shoulder, Scarlet stops herself from shouting in surprise as she sees reddened bandages wrapped around her nearly bare chest and shoulder, the white cloth sparing her from flashing anyone who might happen to enter the room.

Memories flood into her mind. The exploring. The ambush. The battle. The bite. She shudders, taking in the fact that she is likely infected now and rethinking her life choices for a moment before taking action.

Grimacing in pain and swinging her legs off of the edge of the bed, Scarlet shakily gets to her feet and glances down at her body, her lower half still clothed and seemingly undisturbed. Scarlet sighs and gently prods her shoulder, wincing as the reminder of last night flares up again and wakes her up just a little more.

"Well, that happened. So I guess I'm a werewolf now?" she asks herself, chuckling and rubbing at her eyes before growling deeply, the volume surprising her and making her pause in her moment of anger, "Oh shit, that did not sound human. Gah, this is a shitty situation!"

A knock on the wooden door causes Scarlet to turn her attention to the entrance of the room, eyes narrowing in distrust and suspicion as she carefully lifts the heavy wooden chair that was left near her bed, she speaks with a clear and firm tone, "Who is it? This had best not be any kind of-!"

Scarlet falls silent as the door opens, barely managing to stop herself from swinging the oak chair before recognizing the wolf-like face of someone that she's known for a large number of years. Wearing thick metal armor that gleams softly in the low light, the tall male's body is covered with black fur, emerald eyes meeting Scarlet's gaze.

The chair slips through her grasp and falls to the floor as a smile splits her face, all ideas of fighting draining away as she realizes that she is safe here, "Morningstar! What are you doing here, big guy? Weren't you off on some important diplomatic mission for Veralion?"

The son of Veralion Bakshar, born from the union of a Demon-kin and a Beastman, steps forward without a word, scooping the smaller human woman into his arms and carrying her towards the bed with a stern expression on his muzzle. Gently depositing her on the bed, Morningstar uses a hand to pin her uninjured shoulder to the bed and growls as he leans closer to Scarlet, their lips practically touching.